Page 65 of Flynn

“I heard a thumping sound.” Flynn clutched her close, and she could feel the thundering beat of his heart beneath her ear. “I just knew you were in trouble.”

“And when I saw you jumping toward the bedroom, I followed since I knew you weren’t armed,” Cassidy said. She shook her head. “Foolish move, Flynn. However, I am glad you moved to the side in time to give me a clean line of sight to the perp.”

“I was hoping you’d hit him,” Flynn admitted. “And I was halfway to the door before I remembered I didn’t have my gun.”

“Thankfully, Taylor helped to knock him off guard.” Cassidy nodded at her. “Nice work.”

She didn’t point out that she hadn’t done it on purpose. Her only thought was to prevent the intruder from killing Flynn. In that moment, she’d realized how much she loved him.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Flynn scolded. “You could have gotten hurt when Cassidy took the shot.”

She shrugged. Thankfully, Cassidy was an expert marksman. “Who is he?” She stared at the fallen man, noticing with horror that the pale Tyvek suit had a pool of blood forming in the center of his chest. If the gunman was Nickoli Yurgis, he wouldn’t be killing anyone ever again.

Cassidy removed the fallen man’s face mask. When Taylor saw the man’s face, she gasped. “That’s Lyle. My cousin Lyle!”

“I’ll call Joe,” Flynn said. “Jake might be dressed just like this and waiting for us outside!”

Instantly, Cassidy moved toward her and Flynn, taking up a protective stance as she faced the open window.

Not open, she abruptly realized. And not broken either. The glass had been cut and removed. How had Lyle accomplished that without anyone noticing? Probably his wearing the Tyvek suit meant no one paid him much attention.

“Joe? Cass shot Lyle Paulson who got inside the house dressed as a crime scene tech,” Flynn said curtly. “His brother Jake could be outside wearing the exact disguise.”

“Got it, stay put.” As Taylor was still pressed against Flynn, it was easy to hear Joe’s response.

Almost instantly, a series of shouts could be heard from the backyard. Cassidy moved toward the window, staying off to the side to avoid being a target. Then she glanced over with a wry grin. “Looks like they found him.” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “He’s down on the ground with several weapons pointed at him.”

“Good,” Flynn responded. “That accounts for three suspects; however, we are still missing any information on the whereabouts of Nickoli Yurgis and the mastermind who hired them.”

The man who’d almost killed her was not Nickoli but her cousin. Her own relative had come into the house with the intent to eliminate her. How could Lyle do such a thing? She felt as if she’d been kicked in the chest.

Then she wondered if one brother, Lyle or Jake, had killed their oldest brother, Roman, as well. And if Lyle and Jake were involved, why had their place been searched? That part didn’t make any sense.

Most of this nightmare didn’t make sense. They needed to understand why the Millers had been murdered. Would they ever know the truth? She was beginning to fear that their questions would forever remain unanswered.

“I think it’s safe to go to the kitchen,” Cassidy said. “Guess I’ll be giving up my service weapon now too.”

“Not until we know we’re safe,” Flynn said sharply. “I’m angry with myself for not insisting on keeping mine.”

“Yeah, not very smart of you to rush into danger unarmed,” Cassidy teased. Then her expression turned somber. “I guess we know now that Detective Klem told Lyle and Jake Paulson about this place.”

“Yeah, their showing up like this, dressed as crime scene techs, screams of a backup plan. Almost as if Klem had known it wasn’t likely that he’d succeed,” Flynn said.

That possibility hadn’t occurred to her. Taylor moved into the kitchen, sinking into the closest chair. Flynn stayed beside her, as did Cassidy. The interior of the house was getting colder by the minute, so Flynn quickly crossed the room to toss more logs into the fire.

As Flynn returned to her side, the back door opened, revealing a grim-faced Joe Kingsley. “We’ve arrested Jake, but he’s not talking.”

Flynn scowled. “That’s fine. We know what he and Lyle had planned.”

“We may believe they’re involved in this up to their eyeballs, but the truth is that our case against Jake isn’t great,” Joe said. “We have him for impersonating a crime scene tech, carrying a firearm, and conspiracy to commit murder. But at this point, Lyle is dead, and Klem is in the hospital, so it’s his word against theirs. He’s claiming he’s innocent, that he had no intention of killing anyone and will only talk to his lawyer.”

Joe’s comments washed over Taylor like ice water. “But he and Lyle do everything together. There’s no way Lyle was involved in this without Jake’s help and support.”

“Your testimony to that effect will help,” Joe admitted. “But we’ll still need more proof to make sure Jake goes away for the rest of his life.”

“We’ll just have to keep working the case until we find the evidence we need,” Flynn said flatly. “Because I agree with Taylor, there’s no way he’s not involved.”

“I hear you.” Joe raked a hand over his hair. “More Greenland cops are on their way back here. We’re going to keep the place surrounded until we can get you and Taylor transferred to the safe house.”

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